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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625889">Coffee, a Sunny-Side-Up Egg, and Toast</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/speccygeekgrrl/pseuds/speccygeekgrrl'>speccygeekgrrl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>White Collar (TV 2009)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Breakfast, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:08:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>960</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/speccygeekgrrl/pseuds/speccygeekgrrl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's only so many times Elizabeth is willing to wake up to find Neal sleeping on her couch.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke, Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Coffee, a Sunny-Side-Up Egg, and Toast</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The prompt was "found-family fluff"... well, finding Neal on the couch is found-family, right? Close enough.</p><p>I wrote this already with Peter making the invitation, El deserved a turn.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elizabeth leaned heavily on the bannister as she came downstairs to start a pot of coffee. She had an unusually early start today, and she was giving herself space to be grumpy about it until her second cup. Satchmo ran past her feet and straight to the couch, nosing at Neal's hand where it dangled to the floor. El sighed to herself and added another mark to the mental tally she'd been keeping before she came over and looked down at the peacefully passed out felon making himself at home in her living room. She could only resist the urge to brush his messy hair back from his forehead for a few seconds before giving into it. </p><p>"Five more minutes," Neal breathed, turning into her touch; then he froze, licked his lips, and opened his eyes with a <em>you-caught-me</em> smile. "Elizabeth. Hi."</p><p>"We've got to stop meeting like this, Neal," she said.</p><p>"I agree, I should always have coffee ready for you when you discover me in your home," he said glibly.</p><p>"Well, it's only 5:30, I won't hold it against you this time."</p><p>"5:30?" He sat up and his nose wrinkled as he suppressed a yawn. "Why are you up so early?"</p><p>"Bridal breakfast with mimosa bar," she said, sounding as exhausted by it as as she knew she was going to feel after dealing with a cadre of champagne-tipsy college students and the Bridezilla calling the shots. She loved planning events, but the people were often much less enjoyable than the party. "I have to be out the door at 6:15."</p><p>"Oof. Let me make you that coffee."</p><p>El let Satchmo out the back door and leaned against it as she watched Neal flit around her kitchen, never even hesitating as he reached into cabinets and drawers she didn't really want to consider how many times he'd probably rifled through for everything he needed to present her with a perfect cup of coffee, one sunny-side-up egg, and two slices of crisp, buttery pan-grilled toast, served with his most charming smile.</p><p>"Not having anything?" she asked as she picked up her fork. </p><p>"I'm planning on getting on Peter's good side with pancakes," Neal confided with a smile. </p><p>"You have too much privileged information, Caffrey," she said, narrowing her eyes at him, but hardly able to keep a laugh out of her voice. </p><p>"Well, they're going to be crepes, but we don't have to tell him that," Neal said.</p><p>"I don't rate crepes?"</p><p>"I thought you like them better for dessert than breakfast."</p><p>El's eyes went wide. "Oh, he's letting <em>my</em> weaknesses slip, too."</p><p>"A sweet tooth isn't a weakness," Neal said. "But it is something I will gladly cater to."</p><p>"Hm," El said, and looked down into her coffee mug, trying to figure out the words she needed for the conversation she wanted to have, wondering how hard he'd make her work to keep it on track. "You're... very willing to cater to us," she said carefully.</p><p>"It's what I do," Neal said flippantly. </p><p>"Make people happy, so you can take advantage of them."</p><p>"...not always," Neal said, his smile going brittle at the edges. "Sometimes I make people happy just to see them happy."</p><p>"It looks the same from this end, Neal," El said. </p><p>Neal ducked his head slightly and glanced up to meet her eyes. "I know. But... you and Peter... I like seeing you happy."</p><p>"You keep letting yourself into my house."</p><p>"I know." He looked down at his own coffee mug, held in his cupped hands.</p><p>"If you asked, we'd let you in," she said softly. "Either of us would. We both would."</p><p>"You would?" His brows arched, but the rest of his face stayed composed.</p><p>"If you <em>asked</em>," she repeated herself. "But waking up to find you on the couch isn't okay."</p><p>"That's why I try to be in the kitchen by the time you wake up," Neal said.</p><p>El briefly but seriously contemplated throwing her fork at him. "Wouldn't you rather wake up upstairs?" she asked, with a feeling that would pierce him better than the fork would.</p><p>The mug slid out of Neal's grip, and El had the pleasure of watching him catch it, too focused on what his hands were doing to keep the complete shock off his face. He was <em>ridiculously</em> graceful. It was almost absurd how proud she was of shaking him badly enough to show like that. "I... would, yes," he said.</p><p>El got up to throw a dish towel on the spilled coffee that had just barely missed his bare feet. "You can't sneak into our bed, Neal, you can only get there if we know you're here." She looked up at him, wondering whether Peter had ever seen the naked hunger for affection so clearly on Neal's face as she could see it now.</p><p>"I didn't know that was an option," Neal said, voice unsteady. "I swear, Elizabeth, I won't sneak in again."</p><p>"You'd better not," she said firmly. A whine came from the back door; she didn't look away from him, just tilted her head slightly. "I have to get ready. Let Satchmo in?"</p><p>"Of course," Neal said. She was in the doorway of the kitchen before he added, "El..."</p><p>"Mm?"</p><p>"You <em>both</em> would?"</p><p>El pursed her lips in a small, private smile. "You've heard it from me. Maybe you should ask Peter yourself. He should be awake in... ninety minutes or so."</p><p>"I will," Neal said.</p><p>While she showered, she briefly contemplated warning Peter before deciding against it. Neal had surprised her; he could be surprised too. If Neal liked seeing them happy, he was going to get a hell of a sight when Peter heard what he had to say.</p>
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